In an effort to generally improve one's health, many people regularly exercise on treadmills by walking, jogging and/or running along a rotating surface. Although exercise treadmills have been found to be useful, the exercise treadmills of the prior art incorporate several inherent disadvantages.
Traditionally, prior art exercise treadmills may be constructed comprising an endless belt rotatably disposed in relation to a plurality of anti-friction rollers which are rigidly secured to a frame. A significant disadvantage of prior art exercise treadmills of this general type may include the uncomfortable vibrating sensation and/or bruising which is commonly realized by a user when attempting to exercise thereon. In addition, if sufficient frictional resistance is not found in relation to the rotation of the free-moving rollers rotatably engaging the belt, a user attempting to exercise on the treadmill may suffer from injuries sustained as a result of an uncontrolled rotation of the anti-friction rollers engaging the belt. In particular, if the rollers supportably disposed in relation to the endless belt are so easily movable, the user may potentially lose his equilibrium or balance and fall from the exercise treadmill resulting in possible injuries.
In an attempt to reduce the potential dangers associated with falling from prior art exercise treadmills comprising anti-frictional, free-moving rollers, those skilled in the art developed rollers providing frictional resistance in relation to the inherent rotation of the rollers and the belt. Prior art exercise treadmills having frictional resistance in relation to the rollers, however, are typically found to have a difficulty in maintaining a sufficient balance between too much resistance and not enough. If, for example, the rollers are incapable of storing sufficient kinetic energy to overcome the established frictional resistance, after the rollers of the treadmill begin to rotate, the belt supportably disposed in relation to the rollers generally will not have the tendency to continue in a rotational motion. In this regard, exercise treadmills of the prior art should generally balance these competing factors and provide a corresponding frictional resistance that accommodates a smooth, continuous movement of the belt, without encountering a series of stops or starts that may result in simultaneous jerking motions in the movement of the endless belt.
To address the foregoing problems associated with frictional resistant roller assemblies, those skilled in the art developed exercise treadmills having a motor disposed in relation to the rollers to provide a means for regulating a constant rotational speed of the rotating endless belt. As realized, prior art exercise treadmills incorporating a motor for driving the rotational speed of the rollers and belt commonly obviate the requirement to balance the resistance and stored kinetic energy customarily needed in prior art exercise treadmills embodying frictional resistance roller assemblies.
A meaningful disadvantage of prior art motorized exercise treadmills includes the general disposition or placement of the motor in relation to the roller assembly and belt. Accordingly, the motor may be generally disposed either in front of, behind, or at one side of the endless belt. The usual placement or disposition of the motor in relation to prior art exercise treadmills, however, typically minimizes valuable space which could be alternatively allocated to the disposition of other internally working components of the treadmill or for the purpose of increasing the walking surface provided by the dimensional size of the belt.
In accordance with prior art exercise treadmills comprising a flat, horizontal or slightly inclined movable surface, the endless belt supportably disposed in relation to the rollers will typically absorb the full impact force of the foot of a user repetitively depressed thereagainst. The impact force sustained by the endless belt of prior art exercise treadmills generally produces a breaking effect which causes temporary stalling of the rotational movement of the belt. This undesirable stalling motion of the belt typically alters the continuity of the user's exercise routine and may further institute jerking movements with each step of the user. As the force or pressure associated with the impact of the user's feet on the flat, horizontal surface increases, the more likely prior art exercise treadmills will realize this breaking effect. In this regard, a heavy person running on a horizontal belt supported by rollers engaging a frame will more likely introduce a consistent breaking effect on the rotational movement of the belt, than a lighter person walking on the same treadmill.
Similarly, exercise treadmills of the prior art were developed to provide a springy and resilient walking surface. Prior art exercise treadmills of this type and the flat surface treadmills of the prior art, however, commonly encourage a form of bobbing effect in relation to the up and down motion of the user's body in relation to the movable surface or belt of the treadmill. This continual bobbing up and down usually makes it nearly impossible for a user to reach and maintain a steady position on the surface of the belt of the treadmill. In addition, because the support structure disposed in relation to the rotating belt is formed to provide a springy and resilient walking surface, a user may feel as if he is wading on the treadmill, rather than walking, jogging or running. Consistent therewith, these types of prior art exercise treadmills are generally unable to satisfactorily simulate natural walking, jogging or running.
Another meaningful disadvantage of exercise treadmills of the prior art is the inherent danger associated with users tending to fall off the back end of the treadmill and become injured. Several attempts have been made to keep a user exercising on prior exercise treadmills from falling off the back end of the endless belt and from the treadmill frame. For example, prior art exercise treadmills were developed by those skilled in the art which include a belt for harnessing the user to the treadmill. Unfortunately, harnessing a user to the treadmill is often found to be as dangerous as falling off the back of the treadmill.
Additionally, exercise treadmills of the prior art may furnish a user with an upright handle to grasp while exercising. While somewhat useful in retaining the user's balance on the rotating endless belt, having to grasp a fixed handle may impede the natural body motion of a user attempting to exercise. Such an encumbrance may be feasible when a user is attempting to walk, but when a user begins to jog or run on prior art exercise treadmills, having to grasp a handle to keep centered on the treadmill may severely interfere with one's natural body motion and further abdicate the inherent physical advantages of the exercise routine.
Another meaningful disadvantage of prior art exercise treadmills is their general inability to reduce the physical impact to the joints and muscles of a user conducting general exercise routines in relation thereto. In this regard, an exercise treadmill which is capable of reducing the physical impact on the knees and back of a user will resolve several barriers left unsolved by known prior art devices, especially in light of providing an operative role in rehabilitative exercises.
Consistent with the foregoing and as illustrated by the number of prior art patents and other disclosures, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to remedy the above-identified disadvantages. While prior art exercise treadmills may appear generally suitable for their intended purpose, they nevertheless leave much to be desired from the standpoint of effectiveness of operation, safety, reducing the physical impact to the joints and muscles of a user, and simulating the natural body motion of the user exercising thereon. In this regard, the present invention provides for a novel curved deck treadmill which overcomes several deficiencies of exercise treadmills of the prior art and resolves several problems left unsolved by the known prior art.